Why did we start our series on Jesus’ “Journey to Jerusalem” in Luke 14? Why there?
Luke’s journey to Jerusalem officially begins in chapter 9. That’s a turning point in the ministry of Jesus (as recorded in Matthew, Mark, and Luke), because this is when, at the height of his ministry’s popularity, he announces to his disciples that he will suffer and be executed at the hands of the religious leaders. Give Luke 9:18-27 a read and get a sense for how shocking it is for the disciples (and should be to us!).
To answer the question, it would simply take us too long to have started the journey right at the beginning. So in terms of scheduling our sermon series, we had to pick somewhere to start. And so we decided to join Jesus and his disciples at what’s considered the halfway point of their journey to Jerusalem, which is chapter 14. I wish we had time to start at the beginning, but this second part of the journey is very powerful and rich and I look forward to the Lord speaking to us as we journey with him and his disciples. The series will land us in Luke 19 (The Triumphal Entry) on Palm Sunday and then on Easter Sunday we will preach from Luke 24, so we’ll be in Luke for the next few months.
In Luke 14:25-35, Jesus sounds very demanding of his would-be disciples. How does this square with Jesus promising to give grace and rest to those who are weary, like in Matthew 11:28-30?
Jesus is the same yesterday, today, and tomorrow (Hebrews 13:8) – and he is not one-dimensional. He is full of grace and truth ( John 1:14). The same Lord who tells us that we be completely devoted to following him also tells us that he promises to give grace and rest to the weary in Matthew 11:28-30. The problem is that we can easily forget that! In other words, Jesus’ grace and forgiveness enable us to become his disciples, to take off the yoke of slavery and bondage to the world and to our sinful ways, and to put on the liberating yoke of being his disciples. True freedom comes when we follow him! Why? Because he promises to be there with us as we follow him – in fact, he lives in us through the Holy Spirit. The grace of Jesus frees us – we are no longer slaves to sin and we are empowered to live for him. Jesus is interested in having us experience true life with him, not just dispensing the gift of forgiveness and eternal life. He really wants us to follow him, trust him, know him, proclaim him, and live for him – because that really is what is best for us.
So the key thing to learn from Luke 14:25-35 is that he wants our whole hearts, not just a halfway or reluctant obedience. In other words, he wants us to abide in his love. That’s the only way we grow as disciples to look more and more like our Master in how we live. So don’t read Luke 14:25-35 in a “pull-yourself-up by your own bootstraps” kind of way, but as an invitation to rely on the empowering grace of Jesus, to love him more deeply so that he becomes priority #1 in all that you do!
It sounds like Jesus leaves no middle-ground except for those who can be completely devoted to him all the time, thinking and talking about him “all the time.” You said that Jesus has to be our number #1 priority. What exactly does that mean?
It would indeed be strange if all we did all the time was to think about Jesus. That would be to be hyper-spiritual. That’s not what I mean. When you’re properly in love with someone (say your child or spouse), you don’t necessarily obsess over them all the time, but your love for them makes you think often about their priorities–what they love and want and do. It’s the same way with Jesus. When our relationship with him and our heavenly Father is at the center of our lives, this begins to control our thinking, our emotions, and our decisions.
